I promised myself I would write the first few chapters of the second dragon book before I went back and fiddled with the first. There were lots of good reasons for this. Lots and lots.

And now I have lots and lots of first chapters. And they’re not working. Every few days, it’s off to the toilet with the laptop, give it a *good* shake over the bowl, watch all the bad words tumble out of the USB ports and the *flush* them away. And then, like bad rash, they come back again.

Scene: Author and First Reader are sitting in the lounge. Author has finally consented to evening of Chinese Takeway after being slowly bludgeoned into submission with the words ‘Crispy Chilli Beef’ for pretty much all of April. This is supposed to be a big treat for First Reader. Author is anticipating a restless night of Monosodium Glutamate-fuelled dreams. (LSD, pah! When you’re ready, try the hard stuff mate), followed by the inevitable grogginess of post-MSG hangover.

First Reader (revealing bigger trump card with the bored ease of one who *always* has the ace): No, that’s *next* week.

Author (floundering): Well what’s the point? I’m about to stop writing first chapters for <the next book> and start reworking <the current book>. I’ll send it when it’s done. Editor isn’t expecting it for a while, and is probably quite busy you know.

First Reader: Well what about the ending?

Author: You mean the ending that’s mine and that I like and think is right and rather shocking and unexpected and have no intention of changing? You mean that ending?

First Reader: Yes

Author: …

First Reader: I’m not sure I like it.

Author (manfully resisting urge to embed laptop into First Reader) …

First Reader: What if Editor doesn’t like it?

Author: …

First Reader: So why don’t you e-mail Editor?

[Author descends into a lengthy dissertation on the pros and cons of this course of action, pausing to consider all possible responses, likely impacts etc. etc. and only barely manages to avoid using prawn crackers and sweet-and-sour sauce to assemble risk-benefit charts across the table]

Author: Well. I suppose. On balance.

First Reader: What?

Author: What?

First Reader: Oh, I got bored and stopped listening five minutes ago. If you don’t want to, then don’t.

Author: Pardon?

First Reader (waiting until the precise moment that Author consumes last mouthful of MSG-saturated lemon-cardboard-and-string Peking style chicken, then pushing largely untouched plate away): I don’t know what’s happened to this takeaway, but this is crap. I don’t know why you’re eating it. [Scene ends as First Reader exits to deposit takeaway menu in the recycle bin. Author has acquired several strange ticks and twitches.]

Editor, please, for the sake of my sanity and a little peace and quiet, please telegram the following at the earliest opportunity: Good to know you’re making progress STOP Very busy publishing *other* books now STOP Will read when *finished* finished STOP Good luck!

I guess it counts as news of a sort, so here’s a post announcing the redevelopment of the Stephen Deas website! It’s the first in the News category, by the way. We can always remove or edit it later; it’s just being a placeholder for now.

I remember the first time I wrote the last word of a novel. It was wonderful. Each one since has been special too, but none of them are as good as the first. These days, I can see them coming, I know they’re going to come, and by the time they arrive, I know they’re going to be fine, and my thoughts are already moving on to the seventeen extra characters and three new religions I’ve introduced in the last chapter in order to force the ending I want, and how to integrate them back into the rest of the story without just throwing it away and starting from scratch.

Still, it’s done and it’s on time, and with a bit of polishing and some hundreds-and-thousands sprinked on top, it might even be rather good.